1. Field of the Invention
This application is directed to heart pumps that can be applied percutaneously.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heart disease is a major health problem that claims many lives per year. After a heart attack, only a small number of patients can be treated with medicines or other non-invasive treatment. However, a significant number of patients can recover from a heart attack or cardiogenic shock if provided with mechanical circulatory support.
In a conventional approach, a blood pump having a fixed cross-section is surgically inserted a heart chamber, such as into the left ventricle of the heart and the aortic arch to assist the pumping function of the heart. Other known applications involve providing for pumping venous blood from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery for support of the right side of the heart. The object of the surgically inserted pump is to reduce the load on the heart muscle for a period of time, which may be as long as a week, allowing the affected heart muscle to recover and heal. Surgical insertion, however, can cause additional serious stresses in heart failure patients.
Percutaneous insertion of a left ventricular assist device (“LVAD”), a right ventricular assist device (“RVAD”) or in some cases a system for both sides of the heart (sometimes called a “bi-VAD”) therefore is desired. Conventional fixed cross-section ventricular assist devices designed to provide near full heart flow rate are too large to be advanced percutaneously, e.g., through the femoral artery. There is an urgent need for a pumping device that can be inserted percutaneous and also provide full cardiac rate flows of the left, right, or both the left and right sides of the heart when called for.